To maximize the storage capacity for a given volume of recording medium, it is desirable that a storage system have as high an information density as possible. As the information density increases, however, regions of data symbols increase their “interference” with both the recording and recovery of neighboring symbols. Without careful compensation for such interference, information may be distorted or lost. While it is possible to compensate for this inter-symbol-interference (ISI) after readout, it is most desirable to compensate for ISI before recording to minimize noise enhancement resulting from data passing through the system.